Sunday, September 7, 2008

Pete usually deep-fried his chicken so I came up with this recipe so that I wouldn't be trying to imitate his. It turned out that he loved this recipe and often requested it when he wanted chicken but didn't feel like making it!

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs of chicken, cut up (legs, breasts, or whole chicken)

2 C flour

3 Tbs BAM

Oil for frying (Olive oil or other cooking oil mixed with some bacon grease tastes best! Don't use shortening because it has a low smoke-point.)

Soak chicken for at least an hour (overnight if possible) in 1/3 cup of seasoned salt and cold water, enough to cover all pieces. Drain. Finish trimming pieces (cut off excess skin, etc.) and flour each piece in the flour and BAM mixture.

Heat the oil in a large skillet (about 1/4 inch of oil in the bottom) until it froths when you toss in a smidgen of flour. Add chicken pieces, dark meat first (thighs, then legs, then the white pieces about 5 minutes after). Brown each piece, turning to get the entire piece brown.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Now you have 2 options for finishing the bird:

Option 1(original method):Toss the entire frypan in the oven on the center rack. This only will work if the pan is not non-stick and the handle isn't plastic! A cast-iron skillet works best.

Option 2(low fat method): Put chicken pieces on a wire rack over large cookie sheet. Cover sheet in foil, if desired. Place the sheet w/racks and chicken in the oven.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a thigh or breast cut open at the bone is no longer red.

If desired, make chicken gravy in the used fry pan. Drain all but a couple tablespoons of the grease and mix with 1/4 cup flour (use the flour & BAM mixture if you like it spicy). Heat on high, adding milk (about 2 cups) and stirring constantly until boiling.